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BONN , May 13 (IPS) - The OECD took a controversial decision Friday to consider loans for large dams on favourable terms.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a grouping of 30 rich nations, took a provisional decision to consider loans for hydropower projects that could be repaid over 15 years in place of the present ceiling of eight-and-a-half years.

The OECD at present allows 15-year repayment for nuclear power projects. The decision Friday brings hydro projects on a par with repayment terms for nuclear projects.

The provisional decision is subject to discussions between OECD officials and experts from several disciplines over the next six months.

Non-governmental organisations want the experts and officials to particularly consider the recommendations of the World Commission on Dams (WCD).

New Report to Parliament on Relations between Canada and the Bretton Woods Institutions Comes up Short

Ottawa - On the eve of the annual spring meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC, the Halifax Initiative Coalition released a new report analyzing how the federal government publicly accounts to Canadians on its relations with these powerful multilateral institutions.

Parliament is informed of the activities and operations of the Bretton Woods Institutions through the tabling of the annual report entitled the Report on the Operations Under the Bretton Woods and Related Agreements Act, which is released annually at the end of March.

Ottawa, March 29, 2005 'Export Development Canada (EDC) can play a more proactive role in shedding light on key environmental information for the projects it supports, while still balancing company demands for confidentiality, argues a new report by Sierra Legal Defense Fund. The report lays out a framework for enhancing access to information within the financial institution.

Statement issued by Stephen Lewis, UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, on the occasion of the launch in Canada of the "Make Poverty History" campaign, at a press conference in Ottawa, February 11th, 2005, 10:00 a.m.

The "Make Poverty History" campaign is rooted in the conviction that 2005 can be the turning point in the fight to eliminate poverty from the face of the earth. There are one billion, two hundred million people living in absolute poverty world-wide, and nearly half of them are in Africa. From my perspective, the mesh of poverty and HIV/AIDS is the deadliest combination on the planet, and there's not the slightest possibility of confronting poverty so long as AIDS runs its savage course.

Coalition of Canadian CSOs Highlight the Weaknesses of Canadian Debt Proposal

Ottawa, Febuary 2, 2005 – A coalition of Canadian civil society organizations criticized the Government of Canada’s proposal for debt relief noting it actually doesn’t cancel any debts and only starts to address the needs of the poorest countries.

“The package announced by the Government of Canada this morning won't fully meet the needs of the poorest countries because it only covers debt servicing for a maximum of ten years up to 2015 and doesn’t lead to full debt cancellation at all,” says John Mihevc, of KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives and Chair of the Halifax Initiative Coalition.

Calling for a "Made in Canada" Proposal Percent Debt Cancellation
By Michael Bassett

This weekend Finance Minister Ralph Goodale will join his counterparts from 20 developed, emerging and developing countries at the regular G20 Finance Ministers meeting. Prime Minister Paul Martin created this grouping of countries in 1999. It stands as an example of the Canadian leadership on the international stage that Mr. Martin has often spoken of, but little delivered since becoming Prime Minister last year.

Ottawa, October 25, 2004 – A Canadian coalition of groups hammered Export Development Canada (EDC) for poor transparency on the most controversial and risky projects it funds, the day before the Auditor General is set to release a report on the environmental and disclosure policies of the crown corporation.

“Three years ago the Auditor General identified public consultation and disclosure of environmental information as being essential to a credible review process”, said Fraser Reilly-King, Coordinator of the NGO Working Group on EDC, the coalition that released the report.

“Yet EDC still has no requirements to do either, and has not released a single environmental impact assessment for the potentially most harmful projects. Without greater transparency, EDC’s environmental review lacks credibility.”

Report Card Flunks Crown Corp on Transparency
Ottawa, October 25, 2004 – A Canadian coalition of groups hammered Export Development Canada (EDC) for poor transparency on the most controversial and risky projects it funds, the day before the Auditor General is set to release a report on the environmental and disclosure policies of the crown corporation.

“Three years ago the Auditor General identified public consultation and disclosure of environmental information as being essential to a credible review process”, said Fraser Reilly-King, Coordinator of the NGO Working Group on EDC, the coalition that released the report.